Summary
Clinical depression has been proposed to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular
disease. While it is suggested that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
reduce the risk of acute cardiovascular problems of depressed patients, the effect
of SSRIs on platelets, the only blood cells committed to serotonin (5-HT) transport,
remains largely unknown. The goal of this pilot study was to measure the 5-HT levels
in platelets of untreated and SSRI-treated depressed patients and normal subjects
and to determine whether the interaction of SSRIs with platelets can explain their
possible cardiovascular benefit in patients with depression. Platelet 5-HT was determined
by an immunocytochemical assay and high-pressure liquid chromatography with electrochemical
detection (HPLC-ECD). In normal control subjects without cardiovascular disease, 78
± 8% of platelets were 5-HT-positive (n = 14). Depression caused a significant reduction in platelet 5-HT to 46 ± 21% in
untreated patients (n = 13) and 22 ± 13% in SSRI-treated patients (n = 14). As a class, all selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors significantly reduced
the 5-HT concentration in patient platelets. An inverse relationship of 5-HT level
and dose of medication might be suggested. These results correlated well with 5-HT
data from HPLC (r = 0.8509, p < 0.001). SSRIs did not affect platelet aggregation and dense granule release in
response to thrombin, but significantly reduced ADP-induced platelet aggregation and
dense granule release in both patient and normal control samples. The active inhibition
of platelet aggregation by SSRIs might explain their cardiovascular benefit.
Keywords
Platelets - serotonin - selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors - depression - cardiovascular
disease